Data scattering in scanning tunneling spectroscopy.
We investigated the scattering of current-voltage data obtained with scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) at room temperature at a solid-liquid interface on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and in ultrahigh vacuum on HOPG and Au(111). For both experimental conditions, the data scattering can be described by a lognormal function for a moderate number of subsequent measurements. The lognormal distribution of the current can be explained by a normal distribution of the tip-surface distance. We give a simple empirical rule for STS data sorting.
Severin
N
N
Department of Physics, Humboldt University Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany. severni@physik.hu-berlin.de
Groeper
S
S
Kniprath
R
R
Glowatzki
H
H
Koch
N
N
Sokolov
I M
IM
Rabe
J P
JP